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Angels Designate Jose Rojas For Assignment

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The Angels announced a series of roster moves Monday, reinstating catcher Max Stassi and right-hander Archie Bradley from the injured list. In order to open roster space for the returning veterans, the Halos optioned catcher Chad Wallach and lefty Jose Suarez to Triple-A Salt Lake. Infielder Jose Rojas, meanwhile, was designated for assignment. A 40-man move was necessary due to the fact that Stassi had been on the Covid-19-related injured list and was thus not counting against the 40-man roster.

Rojas, 29, has seen Major League time at second base, third base, first base and in both outfield corners. He’s a .199/.261./.377 hitter through 207 plate appearances in that time but does possess a much more appealing track record in Triple-A, where he’s logged a .274/.340/.496 slash in 950 trips to the plate. Rojas swatted 31 home runs with Triple-A Salt Lake back in 2019, although that came during a season when the baseball is widely believed to have been juiced both in the Majors and in Triple-A.

A former 36th-round pick, Rojas still has a pair of minor league options remaining, meaning any club that picks him up via waiver claim or a small trade will be able to shuttle him back and forth between Triple-A and the big leagues as some additional outfield/infield depth both this season and next. The Angels will have seven days to trade Rojas, attempt to pass him through outright waivers or release him.

Mariners Sign Justin Upton

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TODAY: Upton’s deal contains a 10-team no-trade clause, Bob Nightengale reports.  Upton has had partial or full no-trade protection in all three of his major multi-year contracts (with the D’Backs, Tigers, and Angels), and he’ll retain some measure of control over his future should the Mariners look to flip him before the trade deadline.

MAY 21: The Mariners have signed outfielder Justin Upton to a one-year, Major League contract.  The club has officially announced the move, and in a corresponding transaction designated righty Adrian Sampson for assignment to clear roster space.  Upton will report to the Mariners’ extended Spring Training camp in order to ramp up for his eventual debut with the team.

USA Today’s Bob Nightengale reports (Twitter link) was the first to announce the Upton signing, and noted that Upton will earn around $550K on the deal, or the prorated portion of the MLB minimum salary.  The M’s will cover the $550K, while the Angels will still owe Upton the remainder of his original $28MM salary for the 2022 season.

The Angels released Upton just before the season began, ending the outfielder’s four-plus year run in Los Angeles.  Originally acquired from the Tigers in August 2017, Upton was already under contract through the 2021 season but held an opt-out clause, and agreed to forego that clause when the Halos tacked another year onto his deal.  The extension added $17.5MM in new money to Upton’s contract and locked up through the 2022 campaign.

Unfortunately, it was a deal the Angels came to regret, after Upton struggled during the 2019-21 seasons.  Due to both injuries and a simple lack of production, Upton has hit .211/.299/.414 with 38 home runs over 784 plate appearances in the last three seasons.  Between this lack of hitting and declining glovework in left field, Upton has been almost exactly a replacement-level player, generating only 0.1 fWAR since the start of the 2019 season.

In his prime, of course, Upton was an outstanding player, with a resume that includes four All-Star appearances, 324 career homers, and a .262/.343/.471 slash line over 7592 PA with five different organizations.  Selected by the Diamondbacks with the first overall pick of the 2005 draft, Upton is a very familiar face to Mariners GM Jerry Dipoto, who worked in Arizona’s front office during Upton’s time with the club.

For the minimal cost, there isn’t much risk for Dipoto and the Mariners in seeing if Upton still has anything left at age 34.  With Mitch Haniger on the injured list until around July, Jarred Kelenic demoted to the minors, and Kyle Lewis still working his way back from injury, the M’s have a need for outfield depth.  Jesse Winker and rookie phenom Julio Rodriguez have two of the spots spoken for, with Adam Frazier, Dylan Moore, and Steven Souza Jr. all recently seeing starts on the grass since Haniger was lost to the IL.

Sampson was only claimed off waivers from the Cubs earlier this week, and now might be moving on from Seattle without a single appearance in either the minors or majors.  The swingman’s 2022 resume thus far consists of a single MLB inning with the Cubs and 19 2/3 innings with Triple-A Iowa.  The Washington native did break into the majors with his home state Mariners back in 2016, marking the first of Sampson’s five Major League seasons — the righty has a 5.13 ERA over 189 1/3 innings, with 125 1/3 of those frames coming with the Rangers in 2019.

Angels Notes: Suzuki, Stassi, Canning, Ward

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The Angels have reinstated catcher Kurt Suzuki from the COVID-related injury list.  Austin Romine was optioned to Triple-A to make room for Suzuki on the active roster, while fellow catcher Matt Thaiss will also remain with Triple-A Salt Lake on option after being activated from the minor league version of the IL.

With both Suzuki and Max Stassi sidelined on the COVID list, the Halos found themselves quite shorthanded behind the plate, leading to Romine and Chad Wallach each getting plenty of action over the last 10 days.  Suzuki is returning after a two-week absence, while Stassi hit the IL on May 10 and could himself be close to a return.  Angels athletic trainer Mike Frostad told The Athletic’s Sam Blum (Twitter links), and The Southern California Newsgroup’s J.P. Hoornstra that Stassi will likely play two more minor league rehab games before being activated.

The outlook isn’t as positive for Griffin Canning, as Frostad said the right-hander is considering surgery to address a stress reaction in his lower back.  No decision has been made, as Canning is meeting with a specialist on Monday and will then opt to go with a surgery or a less-invasive treatment.

It’s worrisome news for Canning, as these back problems have kept him from pitching from July 8, 2021 (when Canning last took the mound at Triple-A).  He had worked his way up to the simulated-game stage of his rehab earlier this month, but he continued to feel discomfort after his latest outing.  Depending on the type of procedure or how well Canning responds to rehab, it’s possible the entire 2022 season could now be in jeopardy for the 26-year-old.

A second-round pick in the 2017 draft, Canning has appeared in each of the last three seasons, starting 41 of his 43 MLB games and posting a 4.73 ERA over 209 1/3 innings.  Even without surgery, it’s hard to figure on when Canning might make his 2022 debut, leaving the Angels short an important depth arm for their six-man rotation.  Long a weak spot, the Anaheim rotation has been quite good thus far, but the club also has less margin for error given their need of an extra hurler.  With Canning sidelined and Jose Suarez ineffective, that depth has already been tested, the Halos recently promoted Chase Silseth directly from Double-A to the majors.

The Angels entered today’s action with a strong 24-17 record, despite an ongoing four-game losing streak.  Last night’s 4-2 loss to the Athletics also saw Taylor Ward leave the game in the ninth inning after colliding with the outfield wall following a catch.  Fortunately, Frostad said Ward didn’t suffer a concussion and only had a stinger in his arm after making the play.

Ward isn’t in tonight’s lineup but is only day-to-day, and seems to have avoided any major injury.  It has been a dream start for Ward, who leads the majors in all three slash categories (.370/.481/.713) and has hit nine home runs over his first 131 plate appearances.

Angels, Grant Dayton Nearing Deal

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The Angels are nearing a deal with free-agent lefty Grant Dayton, reports Robert Murray of FanSided (Twitter link). Dayton, a client of KVA Sports, opted out a minor league deal with the Marlins last weekend.

Dayton, 34, has appeared in parts of five big league seasons — two with the Dodgers and three with the Braves. He carries a 3.43 ERA with a 27.6% strikeout rate against a 9.0% walk rate in 102 1/3 innings — all in relief. He’s been a generally effective reliever throughout his big league career, when healthy, although that’s a notable caveat. Dayton missed all of the 2018 season due to Tommy John surgery and has missed considerable time in subsequent seasons due to a broken foot and shoulder inflammation.

Dayton has spent the past three seasons with Atlanta, the first two of them with solid results. (His early time with the Braves overlapped with that of current Angels GM Perry Minasian, who was working in the Atlanta front office as an assistant general manager at the time.) Dayton’s 2021 campaign saw him limited to 13 frames by that shoulder issue while posting a 6.23 ERA along the way. He opened the 2022 season with Miami’s Triple-A club, pitching to a 2.35 ERA with a 24-to-5 K/BB ratio through 15 1/3 innings of bullpen work before opting out.

The Halos have a pair of lefties in their bullpen at the moment, with offseason signee Aaron Loup and homegrown southpaw Jose Suarez helping to serve as bridges to closer Raisel Iglesias. Down in the minors, lefties Kenny Rosenberg and Jhonathan Diaz give them an additional pair of  the 40-man roster. Assuming a deal is finalized, Dayton will add to that left-handed depth and could get a look in the big leagues if he’s able to keep up the form that he displayed with the Marlins’ top affiliate to begin the season.

 

Tigers Claim Brendon Davis From Angels

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The Tigers announced they’ve claimed infielder Brendon Davis off waivers from the Angels. Detroit also selected righty Drew Carlton onto the big league club and placed Will Vest on the COVID-19 injured list. The Tigers had a prior vacancy on their 40-man roster, and Vest won’t count against that tally while he’s on the COVID list.

Davis, 24, hasn’t yet played in the majors. Los Angeles selected him onto the 40-man roster over the winter, as he’d have otherwise qualified for minor league free agency. That came on the heels of a breakout 2021 campaign in which the righty-hitting infielder posted a .290/.362/.561 cumulative line across a trio of minor league levels. Davis had arguably his best showing following a late-season bump to Triple-A, and that impressed the Angels enough they were willing to devote him an offseason 40-man roster spot.

Los Angeles assigned Davis back to Triple-A Salt Lake to open this year, and his results have fallen short of last year’s excellent showing. Through 159 plate appearances, he’s hitting .243/.333/.463 with six home runs in a hitter-friendly setting. That’s still decent production, and Davis has a strong combination of walks (11.3%) and strikeouts (19.5%). It’s not at the .333/.409/.641 level at which he debuted there last season, though, and the Angels tried to slip him through waivers to keep him in the organization without a roster spot.

Detroit jumped at the opportunity to add the former fifth-round pick, who was involved in the 2017 deadline deal that sent Yu Darvish from the Rangers to the Dodgers. Davis scuffled during his days in the Rangers’ farm system, but he’s improved dramatically since the Angels grabbed him in the minor league portion of the Rule 5 draft. He’s primarily a third baseman, but he also has experience in the middle infield and the corner outfield. He can be optioned for the next three seasons, so he offers the Tigers a versatile depth pickup.

Carlton returns to the majors after being outrighted off the roster at the end of last season. The 26-year-old made his first four big league appearances last September, allowing two runs with four walks and one strikeout in 3 2/3 innings. He’s off to a nice start with Triple-A Toledo, tossing 15 frames of 3.60 ERA ball with an excellent 30.2% strikeout rate and a strong 6.3% walk percentage. Carlton also has all three options remaining, so the Tigers can shuttle him between Detroit and the minors without again exposing him to waivers if they’re willing to keep him on the 40-man roster.

Angels Designate Cesar Valdez, Outright Aaron Whitefield

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The Angels announced they’ve designated right-hander César Valdez for assignment to clear space on the active roster for southpaw José Suarez, who has been recalled from Triple-A Salt Lake. Los Angeles also announced that outfielder Aaron Whitefield has passed through waivers unclaimed and been outrighted to Double-A Rocket City.

Valdez’s stint in the big leagues proved exceedingly brief. The team just selected his contract last night, adding some multi-inning relief depth before a game against the Rangers. The 37-year-old got into the game, facing five batters and allowing a pair of runs (one earned) on two hits in an inning. He’ll immediately lose his MLB spot as the Angels cycle through arms after using six pitchers yesterday. Valdez is out of minor league option years, so the only way to replace him on the big league club was to remove him from the 40-man roster.

Signed to a minor league contract over the winter, the former Oriole has spent the bulk of the season with the Bees. After working out of the bullpen in Baltimore, he’s stayed stretched out as a starter with Salt Lake. Valdez was off to a very nice run there to begin the year, tossing 35 2/3 innings over five appearances. He’s posted a 3.03 ERA despite working more than seven frames per start, racking up grounders on almost three-fifths of batted balls while only walking four of the 137 hitters he’s faced (a minuscule 2.9% rate).

The Angels will presumably try to run him back through waivers in hopes of keeping him at Salt Lake as a multi-inning depth option. It’s at least possible some other team will be persuaded enough by Valdez’s strong start in the minors to devote him a 40-man roster spot that wasn’t available over the winter. Having previously been outrighted in his career, Valdez would have the right to refuse an assignment in favor of free agency if he goes unclaimed.

That’s also true of Whitefield, although the Angels didn’t specify whether he’ll do so. The 25-year-old outfielder was selected to the majors ten days ago. He appeared in five games, his first MLB work since a trio of contests with the 2020 Twins. An excellent runner capable of playing all three outfield spots, Whitefield has been off to a great start with the Trash Pandas. Over 111 plate appearances, the Australia native has hit .301/.400/.538 with five homers, 13 stolen bases and a massive 14.4% walk percentage.

Angels Select Cesar Valdez

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The Angels selected right-hander César Valdez onto the big league roster in advance of tonight’s game against the Rangers. Andrew Wantz has been optioned to Triple-A Salt Lake in a corresponding move. To clear space on the 40-man roster, Anaheim transferred middle infielder David Fletcher from the 10-day to the 60-day injured list.

Valdez agreed to a minor league deal during Spring Training. The 37-year-old reported to Salt Lake, where he’s worked as a starting pitcher. Valdez has averaged north of seven innings per appearance, tossing 35 2/3 frames altogether with an excellent 3.03 ERA. He’s fanned just under a quarter of opponents while walking a microscopic 2.9% of batters faced. Valdez has induced ground-balls at an elite 58.8% clip and only allowed one of 137 batters he’s faced to take him deep.

That’s a very impressive showing, particularly in the context of a move back to the starting staff. Valdez had worked exclusively as a reliever since landing with the Orioles in 2020. He spent a good chunk of last season in the majors, tossing 46 innings over 39 outings. The Dominican Republic native had a very good April for the O’s, eventually pitching his way into the closer role. He stumbled from May onwards, however, managing only a 5.87 ERA in the long run. Because he’s been stretched out as a starter, he’ll offer skipper Joe Maddon a long relief option in the majors.

Fletcher, the club’s primary second baseman in recent years, has been held to just 14 games in 2022. He spent the first few weeks of the season on the injured list owing to a hip strain, returning in late April. Fletcher landed back on the IL a bit more than a week later, and he was forced to undergo adductor surgery last week. That procedure came with a rough recovery timeline of “a couple months,” according to the team, making it unsurprising he heads to the 60-day IL. He’ll likely be out until after the All-Star Break.

Griffin Canning Has Minor Setback In Injury Rehab

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  • Griffin Canning has spent the entire season on the 60-day IL due to a stress reaction in his lower back, and he felt some discomfort during a recent two-inning simulated game.  Angels GM Perry Minasian told reporters (including Jeff Fletcher of The Orange County Register) that it’s a relatively minor setback that won’t require any more testing, but Canning is “going to take a little more time with our medical staff in Anaheim and we’ll take it day by day.”  June 6 is Canning’s first eligible day to leave the injured list.  The 26-year-old (and former top 100 prospect) has a 4.73 ERA over 209 1/3 career innings with the Angels, a tenure highlighted by a Gold Glove in the 2020 season.  With the Angels intending to keep their six-man rotation going for the remainder of the year, the Halos will need Canning healthy to provide extra depth in the coming months.

Angels Reinstate Matt Duffy From IL; Designate Aaron Whitefield

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The Angels made four roster moves, including the reinstatement of infielder Matt Duffy from the COVID-related injury list.  Right-hander Andrew Wantz was also called up from Triple-A Salt Lake, while infielder Jack Mayfield was optioned to Triple-A, and outfielder Aaron Whitefield was designated for assignment.

After manager Joe Maddon hinted earlier today that Duffy could be activated for the second game of today’s doubleheader with the Athletics, Duffy will indeed be available for the nightcap.  Both Mayfield and Whitefield were in the starting lineup for the first game as the right fielder and center fielder, respectively, in a 4-3 Anaheim loss.

Duffy spent two weeks on the IL, and the lack of an injury designation implied that his absence was related to COVID-19.  Over his first 41 plate appearances, Duffy was off to a decent start, hitting .278/.366/.306 while getting starts at both second base and first base.  This figures to be Duffy’s role going forward, as the veteran will continue to work with Tyler Wade, Andrew Velazquez, and Luis Rengifo in the Angels’ middle infield picture while David Fletcher is sidelined following adductor muscle surgery.

Mayfield had also been seeing some utility duty, while Whitefield played five games in the outfield after Los Angeles selected his contract from Triple-A earlier this week.  Whitefield’s previous MLB experience consisted of three games with the Twins in 2020, and in eight pro seasons, the 25-year-old has hit .246/.311/.352 over 1920 PA in the minors with Minnesota and Anaheim.  Outfield defense and speed (164 steals in 211 opportunities) were Whitfield’s calling cards in the minors, and another team in need of such a skillset could give the Australian a look on the DFA wire.

Angels To Promote Chase Silseth

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The Angels announced they’re planning to promote pitching prospect Chase Silseth to start tomorrow night’s game against the A’s. The team will need to make a 40-man roster move before the contest to officially accommodate his selection.

It’s a remarkably quick ascent for Silseth, who was still pitching at the University of Arizona less than a year ago. Anaheim selected him in the 11th round of last year’s draft, going overslot with a $485K bonus to lure him away from Tucson. Silseth started 18 games for the Wildcats but posted just a 5.55 ERA in a hitter-friendly environment, battling control inconsistency along the way. Nevertheless, his power arsenal — a mid-90s fastball, pair of promising breaking balls and split-changeup — made him the #145 prospect in the draft class, according to Baseball America.

Over the offseason, BA named Silseth the #12 minor leaguer in the Angels’ system. The outlet suggested his long-term home might be in the bullpen, as did FanGraphs’ Brendan Gawlowski and Eric Longenhagen in naming him the organization’s #28 prospect. The Angels quickly pushed him to Double-A Rocket City as a starter, though, and he’s impressed over five outings. The 21-year-old (22 next week) has a 1.73 ERA with a massive 37.4% strikeout rate in 26 innings. He’s only walked 7.1% of batters faced, and the front office clearly feels he’s capable of holding his own against big league hitters immediately.

Whether the forthcoming MLB stint will prove more lasting than a spot start is to be determined, but Silseth has quickly put himself on the map as a near-term depth option for the Halos. He’ll also earn the distinction of being the first player from his draft class to reach the majors after an excellent beginning to his pro career.

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